Best Bandon course in massive rain?

[OregonHack]

We are headed to Bandon and the forecast looks dismal. In hopes of playing without standing water on the greens, are certain courses better with drainage? Do certain courses have more undulation on the greens, eliminating standing water, than others? Obviously Sheep and Old Mac are the worst in high winds, but curious about 1"-2" of rain. Or maybe putting will simply be impossible. Thanks for any info!

[Seamus_MacDuff]

Don't know the answer for sure, but I'd hazard a guess that Sheep Ranch would most likely be the best in heavy rains, as there hasn't been as much time to a develop a heavier thatch layer that would hinder the perc rates of rain through the sandy soil. More undulation on greens isn't necessarily as helpful as you think, as internal slopes often funnel more water into low points with standing puddles rather than allowing the rain to naturally perc into the green surface. From my experience playing the other courses at the resort, they'll all collect water in certain spots on the greens during heavy rain.

[puttnforthe8]

26 minutes ago, OregonHack said:

We are headed to Bandon and the forecast looks dismal. In hopes of playing without standing water on the greens, are certain courses better with drainage? Do certain courses have more undulation on the greens, eliminating standing water, than others? Obviously Sheep and Old Mac are the worst in high winds, but curious about 1"-2" of rain. Or maybe putting will simply be impossible. Thanks for any info!

 

Old Mac drains the best green wise.  Trails actually drains well too.  Bandon is the worst, then Pac.  I am guessing Sheep may not be great since it is new grass?

[Seamus_MacDuff]

4 minutes ago, puttnforthe8 said:

 

Old Mac drains the best green wise.  Trails actually drains well too.  Bandon is the worst, then Pac.  I am guessing Sheep may not be great since it is new grass?

That would sorta verify my hunch that the oldest greens drain the worst, since they've had more time to build up a subsurface thatch layer that hinders speedy drainage.

[OregonHack]

Thanks for all the replies! Crossing fingers for a weather break, but not looking good.

[Edaw68]

I’ve played all of them except sheep ranch in heavy rains, and all can get standing water and rivers in the greens. Of the first 4 courses Trails was probably the best, it has the fewest greens with “channels” where water collects. OM was probably the worst in my opinion, it’s greens are full of low spots where water collects.

 

If you get one of those torrential days, it’s best just to accept putting may not be practical, throw away the scorecard and have fun trying crazy shots you wouldn’t normally try.

[mallrat]

5 hours ago, Seamus_MacDuff said:

That would sorta verify my hunch that the oldest greens drain the worst, since they've had more time to build up a subsurface thatch layer that hinders speedy drainage.

Honestly I think it’s just a volume of water vs thatch issue. Also think that the Poa vs Fescue greens comes into play. 
 

From what I’ve noticed Pac was the worst. In particular 8 was the worst hole I’ve seen over any of the courses. There seems to be multiple slopes from surrounding holes that feed right into it. 
 

Now Trails seems to have the most water on course from what I’ve seen. But a lot of it is either out of play or avoidable (think HUGE puddles like 50 x 50 yards) but only 100 yards off the tee on a driver hole. 

[duffer987]

Pac is definitely the worst in my experience. Those collection areas where all the balls end up is also where the water goes and a lot of the greens have natural pockets where they pool up fast. Bunkers wash out there faster than the other courses too.

12th is always prone to swampiness. Last month eventhough it was misty, but not actually that rainy, it had a bunch of puddles and standing water.

[spud3]

Agree with what's been said above: all of the courses will have pooling/streams on the greens in sustained heavy rains.  Best to just toss the scorecard and drop your ball onto a spot where you don't have to putt through a river, if you even putt at all.  The good news is that it will only take a few hours break in the rain for the courses/greens to drain nearly completely.

 

The next week looks pretty ugly, especially Saturday (12/11).  1-2" of rain and 25-30 mph winds, gusts to 50.  In the local parlance, it sounds like a Howler.  Days like that, I will strip down to a half set in a small waterproof bag, put on every inch of Gore Tex I have, grab a bunch of old shag-bag balls and just hit ridiculously fun shots around the course.

 

Putting will be the least of your issues...

 

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by spud3

[Swingem]

When it rains hard, every course on property will have greens with some pooling issues. It's been my experience that when the weather gets heavy, Trails is the best place to be.

[graveydellic]

18 hours ago, Swingem said:

When it rains hard, every course on property will have greens with some pooling issues. It's been my experience that when the weather gets heavy, Trails is the best place to be.

 

For my money, Trails is the best place to be rain OR shine! 

[PorkChopExpress]

They'll also go to high and dry pins

 

While OM and Trails prob drain the best, probably more difficult to putt on as they'll be on crowns with Mac being the worst. Mac has some crazy high and dry pin positions.